by Admin
Feb 23, 2025
President Donald Trump has dismissed General Charles “CQ” Brown, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the nation’s highest-ranking military officer in a sweeping reorganization of the United States military leadership.
“I want to thank General Charles ‘CQ’ Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country,” Trump announced on social media, revealing that five other senior officers would also be replaced.
General Brown, the second Black officer to ever hold the position, served as the principal military advisor to the president and the secretary of defense on national security matters.
His removal comes amid criticism from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who had previously suggested that Brown should be dismissed due to his emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within the military.
Later on Friday, Hegseth announced the dismissals of two additional senior officials: Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Chief of Naval Operations, and General Jim Slife, Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force. Admiral Franchetti was the first woman to lead the U.S. Navy.
“Under President Trump, we are putting in place new leadership that will focus our military on its core mission of deterring, fighting, and winning wars,” Hegseth said in a statement.
President Trump also confirmed that he would nominate Air Force Lieutenant General Dan Caine as the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Lt. Gen. Caine, a career F-16 fighter pilot, recently served as the CIA’s associate director for military affairs. Recalling their first encounter in Iraq, Trump described him as looking “better than any movie actor you could get.”
At the time of his dismissal, General Brown had been visiting U.S. troops stationed at the southern border, just two hours before Trump’s public announcement.
Speculation had been mounting throughout the week that he would be removed, despite his term being set to run until 2027.
Brown first gained national attention in 2020 when he publicly addressed racial issues in the military following the death of George Floyd.
In a widely shared video message, he spoke about the challenges he faced as one of the few Black men in his unit and recounted instances where his credentials were questioned.
In 2022, as the Air Force’s chief of staff, Brown co-signed a memorandum outlining diversity goals aimed at increasing minority officer recruitment while adjusting the proportion of white applicants.
His dismissal follows Trump’s decision last month to remove the first female commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, citing an “excessive focus” on diversity initiatives.
General Brown’s predecessor, Colin Powell, was the first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, serving from 1989 to 1993.